The Good Dinosaur on way to become one of Pixar's worst films

It has so far scored 67 on Metacritic, only just above Monsters University and below Brave

Arlo, an Apatosaurus, encounters a human named Spot (Pixar)

Pixar is best known for creating family-friendly CGI animated films, each one following similar themes of love, hope and strength to overcome the struggles of being a toy/rat/grumpy old man/abandoned robot/teenager/one-eyed monster.

Nearly every single one has been met with critical acclaim, yet, their latest offering - The Good Dinosaur - has had a mixed reception.

Currently, the film holds a Metacritic rating of 67 from 35 reviews, the third worst rated Pixar film, only just above Cars 2 and Monsters University.

Obviously, 67 isn’t a horrendous score, but compared to the likes of Toy Story (92), The Incredibles (90), Wall-E (94) and even Inside Out (94) it is a lot, lot lower. Even the first Cars scored six points higher.

Its closest counterparts would be Brave, which holds a 69 rating, and Monsters University, which holds 65.

So have Pixar lost their mojo? Entertainment Weekly, who awarded The Good Dinosaur exactly 67, said that: “While the story attempts the moves that a Pixar film typically makes—nonverbal storytelling, death, a bittersweet ending—most of The Good Dinosaur’s punches land soft, made worse by the disconnect that exists between the overly cartoonish style of the characters and the photorealistic landscapes.”

Most reviewers went for a similar angle, stating how the film walks a well-worn road, leading to a middling film. Empire stated how: “it’s a pity that the story happening in front of it is so familiar and safe.”

Of course, there were some overwhelmingly positive reviews, with The Wrap saying how the film “showcases Pixar’s greatest strengths: technical brilliance, emotional texture, crossover appeal, and an impish sense of humour that takes the utmost advantage of the animated form”.

So, are Pixar on the way down? Probably not. With a line-up including Finding Dory, Toy Story 4 and The Incredibles 2, there’s not a lot that could go catastrophically wrong. Just note the lack of originals coming our way, with only the Day of the Dead themed Coco set in stone for the future.

The Good Dinosaur reaches UK cinemas 27 November.